Maverick Read online

“I’m not sure yet. I’ll let you know when I do. I’ll call you.” Kevin powered off the phone and smiled at Maggie. “Pull into the left lane.” Maggie changed lanes obediently. Kevin rolled down his window and chucked the phone high over the car’s roof, into the tall grass of the median. He jerked his thumb to the right and Maggie changed lanes again. This time he was waiting for her quick glance.

  “Once your FBI friend has Paul, they’ll be able to trace that call. Take I-10 east when you get to it.” “Where are we going?”

  “Colorado.” His smile was bland. “The long way.”

  Melissa woke up when they reached the Louisiana state line. Or at least she sat up. Maggie watched in the rear view mirror as she gave Kevin a dazed look, Maggie a faint smile, then she went back to sleep. Kevin had shown Maggie a little black case loaded with filled syringes.

  “More of the same. You’ll get some tonight. You’ll like it. Melissa likes it, too.” Maggie bit down on her lip.

  When they stopped for gas, she eyed the pay phone. Right next to the restrooms. But the only person she dared call was Jack. Short of calling directory information for the number of the ranch, she didn’t know how to reach him.

  Kevin had all the money from her briefcase. “I told Nathan you lifted some of that cash.” “I didn’t touch any of the money, Kevin. Nathan knew that.” She suspected Kevin knew it too, and her lips closed in a firm line. Unless he asked her a direct question, she wouldn’t speak to him again.

  “Nathan was sweet on you. He made that stupid deal and let you walk away. I killed him, did you know that?.”

  “So you said,” she murmured. She hadn’t seen a sheriff’s car since Austin. Melissa was asleep again, but out of Kevin’s immediate grasp. Now was the perfect time. . . Except she couldn’t figure out what to do. Crash the car?

  “Take the first Shreveport exit.”

  Why? She clamped her mouth shut. The skies were only just beginning to darken, although they’d been in the car for hours. Wouldn’t he want to get as far away from Texas as he could?

  When she stopped at a light, Kevin slithered over the seat into the back. A streetlight illuminated his smile. “Just going to snuggle with your sister for a while.” “You leave her alone, Kevin. I’m warning you!”

  Kevin smiled. “Or what?” The smile disappeared. “Turn left at the next light.”

  She followed his instructions, jumping when he grabbed her shoulder. “That motel there. Pull up to the office and shut off the engine.”

  A motel? Her skin started to crawl. “Now get us a room. Two beds. Smoking.” He pulled a sleepy Melissa out of the right side of the car while she exited the left. His left arm went around Melissa’s waist. His right cradled Melissa’s shoulders. With the knife that would slit her throat if Melissa struggled or even sneezed. “Make it snappy, Jenna.” He’d gone through her briefcase, removing her wallet, along with the cash. “Your sister’s tired.”

  “I—how do I pay?”

  He fished a hundred dollar bill out of his left pocket. “Get a receipt. You’ve got five minutes.” She was back in three. Kevin unlocked the motel room door, gave the room a quick glance and shoved Melissa into her arms. Melissa wasn’t quite standing under her own power. Maggie remembered the needles and shuddered.

  “I thought we were going to a ranch.” Melissa slurred the words, and didn’t seem a bit upset. “Change in plans,” Maggie murmured.

  “Can I sleep now?”

  “Mmm.” She barely had Melissa inside when Kevin followed with her briefcase, a cooler and his own large duffel bag over his shoulder. He gestured to the far bed and Maggie eased Melissa down onto it. She was softly snoring almost immediately.

  Kevin smiled when she turned back to him. “Good stuff, huh? You’ll see.” He flicked on the television and tuned in a local channel. There wasn’t any sound. Maggie stayed where she was, between the two beds.

  The room was ancient, but marginally clean. Yellowed muslin curtains hung over the single opaque window. It was opposite the room’s only door—visible from everywhere in the room—even the bathroom, if the door was open. The carpet was a foul shade of green.

  Kevin checked his watch. “Two minutes to show time. Will we be famous tonight?” His grin was pure evil. “Bet my little brother is.”

  “You wanted him to get caught? Why?”

  “More money for me, honey.” Kevin rifled through the cooler and pulled out a beer. He turned to his duffle bag next. Maggie eyed the door. If he drank himself to sleep. . .if she could get Melissa awake. . . When she glanced back at him, he was watching her. And holding a gun. Maggie took a step backward.

  “Shut up and sit down.” When she hesitated, he leveled the gun at Melissa. Maggie sat. Her fingers itched to pull Melissa close. But if there was a chance she could get them out, she had to be free to move. She hugged a pillow instead.

  Plans flew through her brain. She discarded them all just as quickly. If Melissa wasn’t here—and unconscious—she might have a chance. As things were—

  “Here we go,” Kevin announced gleefully. Suddenly Maggie couldn’t look away from the screen. Jack was there, looking harried. There was a shot of an ambulance at the airport. Dread squeezed her heart. If anything happened to Dan Myles, Josie would be devastated. And Jack.

  Jack fielded questions from a reporter like a pro. He is a pro, she reminded herself, remembering the last news conference she’d seen him give.

  I’ll find you. . .

  Hope had her heart beating double-time before she squashed it. Jack was in Austin. She and her sister were in Louisiana with a man who wouldn’t hesitate to kill.

  *** In the comfortable den of the Myles’ ranch, Jack watched the same footage and squeezed his mother’s hand. He sat on the arm of her recliner. She patted his hand. “You’re quite good at handling those reporters, son.”

  “We’ll see.”

  At the cryptic comment, she glanced up at him. “You know more than you’re tellin’, young man?” “Yes, ma’am.”

  She smiled, but her eyes were still worried. “You usually do.”

  “I’ve got to head back to town for a bit. Will you be all right?”

  “Right as rain, honey. Got my man tucked in upstairs and I’m fixin’ to join him soon.”

  Jack dropped a kiss on his mother’s forehead. “I always knew Pop was thick-headed. Came in handy today.”

  Josie stood with him, but didn’t release his hand. “She’s a good girl, Jack. I look forward to getting to know her better.” “Me, too.” He touched his pocket, making sure he had his cell phone, and headed out to the circular drive. The airport security tapes wouldn’t stop playing in his mind. He’d seen what Maggie hadn’t—Kevin’s arrival from behind them, the gun he’d brought down on his father’s head and the needle he’d pushed into Melissa’s slender arm. He hadn’t felt so helpless for. . .three days. He flashed a bitter smile at the truth.

  But that wasn’t exactly true. He wasn’t helpless this time. And he’d lied to his mother. He wasn’t headed to town.

  The night was mild and balmy—perfect for a drive.

  “Hang on, darlin’,” he whispered to the stars, wishing she could really hear him. “And don’t lose that briefcase.”

  At the airport in Dallas two hours later, he used his badge to get to the gate. Chuck didn’t look a bit surprised to see him there.

  “Got it?”

  Chuck hoisted a metal case. “Everything you wanted and then some. But why didn’t you use the local field op? I know they’ve got everything I’ve got.”

  “And the SWAT team that goes with it,” Jack muttered tersely. “With an unacceptable casualty allowance.”

  Chuck listened to the vehemence in his voice and gave Jack a second look. “I get the feeling the stakes have changed.” Jack’s smile wasn’t really a smile at all. “You have no idea.”

  Chuck nodded. “Any clue where they are?”

  “They were north of Austin when Paul called Kevin. I think they’r
e in Louisiana by now. If Paul told the truth. If Kevin’s sticking to his plan. And if Maggie hasn’t interfered with that plan.”

  “One way to find out. We’ll need to get away from the airport though. Too much interference.” “You’re the expert. Let me know when to stop.”

  ***

  Kevin watched the early news, the late news, then an update on CNN. He’d had eight beers and acted like he’d been drinking soda all night. Except that when he shut off the television he seemed more relaxed. He lit a cigarette and let it dangle from his mouth as he reached into his duffle bag.

  He withdrew his hand and Maggie shuddered with relief. She couldn’t see what he retrieved, but the object wasn’t large enough to be the case with the syringes. He picked up the gun, smiling at her, heedless of the ashes that spilled down his shirt. And he continued to watch her as he slowly twisted a cylinder of black metal onto the barrel of the gun.

  Relief jolted to chills of horror.

  A silencer.

  Maggie shoved back into the wall, one hand ridiculously splayed over Melissa’s head. “Don’t, Kevin, please.” “Don’t give me a reason, Maggie-May.”

  She shook her head quickly. “I—I won’t.”

  “Good. Just remember that I don’t need her. I’ve got you.”

  She nodded because he seemed to want an answer.

  “Sit there.” The silencer pointed to the center of the other bed. “Don’t move.”

  Maggie scrambled to the other bed. She didn’t move, even when he turned his back. He’d had the gun all night—the silencer shouldn’t matter.

  But it did. For some reason, the additional inches on the barrel of that big gun made all the difference in the world. He advanced again and she couldn’t help her instinctive withdrawal. The movement wasn’t much, mostly a twitch in her shoulders, but it made him smile. He laid the black case he’d shown her earlier on the pillow she’d just discarded.

  Her gaze was distracted now, darting between the gun and the case. From the corner of her eye, she saw him squash out his cigarette in the tiny fluted ashtray on the built-in table between the two beds.

  He lifted the gun. “Ever seen what one of these babies can do?” He dropped a photograph into her lap. Nathan. Or what used to be Nathan.

  Get a grip, Maggie. You know he’s only doing this to scare you.

  And succeeding, no matter what she tried to tell herself.

  Kevin sat down on Melissa’s bed, directly across from Maggie. “Recognize him?” “Nathan,” she whispered.

  “Give the lady a cigar.” He eyed her speculatively. “Gonna fight me?” “No,” she said. And prayed it was the truth.

  He chuckled. “Nathan always claimed you were smart. So I guess the only other question is who gets to sleep with Melissa?”

  Helplessness nearly smothered her. She kept her eyes trained on his and waited. “Shall we flip a coin?” He smiled and she could see the effects of the beer now. But it wasn’t enough. Not with Melissa so close. Not nearly enough. “Or we’ll just let you be the one to decide.” He put the gun down, but not close enough for her to grab the weapon. “Let’s see if Nathan was right about you.”

  He’s playing with you.

  The knowledge didn’t help a bit.

  “Take off your shirt—real slow. Give me your arm.”

  Maggie slid one arm out of Jack’s shirt sleeve and squeezed her eyes shut. “I’ll find you—”

  She barely felt the prick in her arm.

  “Trust me, my Maggie. . .”

  The sound of a hundred birds’ wings beat in her ears, but the noise only made Jack’s voice clearer. The drug’s rush stole her breath. Kevin yanked on her arm; she could barely feel his fingers. She forced her eyelids open. He looked surprised.

  “If you go to sleep there, I’m going to sleep with Melissa.” His words were distorted, far away—nothing like Jack’s. She stumbled to her feet, pulled herself across the narrow space between the two beds and collapsed next to Melissa.

  “G’night, darlin’.”

  Almost, she could feel his arms around her. Maggie smiled and closed her eyes. *** Something tickled her cheek. She couldn’t move her hands to brush it away. Her wrist screamed in agony. A suffocating weight squashed her stomach. Over the pain of a thousand tiny hammers whacking at her brain behind her eyes, she heard the whisper.

  “Where’s the note, Maggie?”

  Kevin. He held her arms over her head, and his knee in her stomach kept her still. He stroked her cheek.

  “The note, Maggie. Where is it?”

  Panic shoved the haze from her mind. What had she told him? The truth. Her throat felt stuffed with cotton. “I—”

  She should have anticipated his slap. But with her eyes still closed, she was completely unprepared. Tears stung her eyes and she struggled to free her arms.

  “You’re a double-crossing bitch, Maggie. No way you leave the evidence in Colorado while you go to Texas.”

  Fear that he would strike her again made her open her eyes. The room was bright—too bright. Kevin’s features wavered too close to her face. “My cabin,” she whispered. “In New Castle.”

  “I searched your damn cabin, Maggie.”

  Think. She had to think. But how could she when even breathing was difficult? “Let me up,” she ordered, struggling weakly.

  Surprising her, he did. She sat up and instantly grabbed her forehead. The concussion had nothing on this pain.

  Kevin tossed a shirt into her lap. One of hers, from Shipwrecks. He wasn’t lying about being in her cabin. She forced her eyes up to his.

  “I hid it.” At least he hadn’t found her hiding place. She glared at him. “Try another stunt like that and you’ll never see the bonds or that note again.”

  He slumped into a chair across the room, still watching her. She cradled her wrist. Her soft voice didn’t come close to masking her anger. “You don’t need what I have, Kevin. You have the money. Get out while you can. You’re never going to get away with this.”

  “I want the note. Not to mention all those wonderful bearer bonds. Do you think I don’t know if the feds had enough to convict me they’d have grabbed me in Jersey? They need the note. But they won’t get it.” His gaze slipped to Melissa, still sleeping next to Maggie. “We won’t let them, will we, Maggie-May?”

  The assault apparently over for now, she struggled to her feet, gingerly touching her split lip. In the bathroom, she wet a washcloth with cold water and filled a glass. There was a window next to the shower, but too small to offer escape.

  Colorado. The longer they were on the road, driving, the better chance she had of getting them pulled over. But he didn’t seem to be in any hurry to leave. Judging from the sunlight streaming into the room, it was already mid-morning. What was he planning?

  She sat back down by Melissa, only too aware he continued to watch her. But he hadn’t said anything when she’d slipped her Advil out of her briefcase. And he didn’t say anything now. Just sat. Watching.

  His stare could make her crazy. When she couldn’t take the creepy vigil any longer, she met his eyes. “What are you going to do?”

  He smiled. “Makes you nuts, doesn’t it? Nathan used to do the same to me.” She didn’t pretend to misunderstand. If he wanted victories like this, she’d hand them over all day long. “It’s disconcerting,” she agreed softly. “What are you going to do?” “Watch the news. It’ll be on in about an hour. Hungry?” She was, but not for what looked like greasy chinese leftovers. Just the thought made her queasy. He must have ordered the food while she slept. “Why do you want the news? You turned it on last night, and then you didn’t even listen.”

  “Didn’t have to. If he called another press conference today, and I know he did, then he’ll have a message for us. It’s his way.” His way. Maggie lifted the cold cloth to her forehead, imagining his fingers moving there. She knew all about his ways. She didn’t know if she could put up with Kevin. With Melissa here anything else was too dangerous.r />
  Kevin pulled the roll of her hard-earned cash out of his pocket. “Go pay for another night.” “We’re staying?”

  “For now.” He was smiling again.

  Maggie preferred him angry.

  ***

  Chuck laid his hand on Jack’s arm when Maggie stepped out of the motel room. “He’s watching her. He can see every move she makes.”

  The soft reminder made Jack release the door handle. His eyes drank her in with all the enthusiasm of a starving man at a Thanksgiving feast. He didn’t like what he saw. Still in the same clothes she’d worn from Denver to Texas, including his old shirt. She squinted in the sun as if the light hurt her eyes and when she stumbled, half-way across the narrow gravel parking lot, his fingers curled again around the door handle. “Easy, Jack,” Chuck whispered. “She doesn’t look too good, does she?”

  Their van was half a block away, positioned to give them instant access to the motel’s entrance. Jack grabbed the binoculars, desperate for a closer look.

  “Her lip’s split.” He didn’t lower the glasses until she’d disappeared into the motel’s office.

  “She might have fallen.” Chuck obviously didn’t believe that any more than Jack did. “Just a few more hours,” he soothed. “You’re sure he’s watching the news?” “Every possible channel. I know Paul didn’t lie about that. And the local stations are all cooperating. He won’t miss the broadcast.” “Just so she doesn’t. If he’s got her drugged—”

  “She’ll see it.” She had to see it.

  They both watched Maggie’s retreat to the room. She paused with her hand on the doorknob, and her shoulders slumped. Jack gripped the field glasses and forced himself to sit still. The door opened and Kevin was briefly visible. He hauled her back inside, cast a quick glance around the parking lot and the door closed again.

  “Damn it all.” Jack’s growl was ferocious, but still a whisper. “He’s got to sleep sometime.” “Not with the goodies he uses. He can go days.”

  “A sniper could take him out,” Jack muttered.

  Chuck would have taken that route in the first place. And he’d told Jack so, repeatedly. Now he just watched the door. For better or worse, the plans were made and underway.